One Wingéd Angel
by James D. Fawkes
Summary: Shinji is back from the future to save his friends and all of mankind. Perhaps, when the time comes, he'll even kill Gendo. But Shinji's different this time. This time, he's not just Shinji Ikari. He's also Sephiroth, the Angel of Vengeance. ShinjiRei
1. The One Winged Angel

**One Winged Angel  
By: **James D. Fawkes

**A/N: Hey! I kind of got this idea a little while ago, and I've been trying to satisfy this urge I have to write a Shinji x Rei fic. So, this is the result. Shinji is Nephilim, just like Rei and Kaworu.  
Chapter One: The One Winged Angel****  
****— o.0.O.O.0.o —**

A young, fourteen-year-old boy with short unruly white hair and fair skin sighed, closing his eyes as he leaned up against the green post of the public telephone, his hands slipping into the confines of the pockets of his black pants. A roll of his shoulders brought a wrinkle to his white dress shirt. He was wearing what appeared to be a school uniform, his shirt tucked into his pants.

Shinji pulled out the picture he had been given, the one that showed the lady who was _supposed_ to be picking him up in a very…interesting pose. Shinji's dark eyes studied her figure carefully, seemingly memorizing every detail it could give him. In reality, though, Shinji was merely gazing upon the woman who had been his mother figure. She had treated him like a son, up until she was killed.

"She's late," Shinji muttered fondly, his crimson eyes narrowing and his lips pulling into a slight smile. It was just like her to be late. "Again."

Slipping the picture back into his pocket, Shinji ran his right hand through his hair, sighing again. "After all this time…Father is calling me back? Heh, he'll probably have a heart attack when he sees me."

There was a crash in the distance and Shinji's red gaze flickered briefly to the giant beast attacking downtown Tokyo-3, watching as planes bombarded it with missiles and various other weapons. Without any sort of acknowledgment, he turned his head back, closing his eyes as he fought back some of the anxiety rising up in his chest. He'd be more successful this time.

"_Disgusting,"_ Shinji thought, his memories providing him with a detailed description of the leviathan lumbering through Tokyo-3. He could remember each of the angels with distinct clarity, his near photographic memory providing him with a name and face for each of them. He felt a slight twinge of grief as he came upon images Kaworu and Rei, the only angels who hadn't been mindless and malicious. They had been the closest people he could call family without actually being blood related.

Rei, of course, had borrowed a great deal of her appearance from Yui Ikari, Shinji's mother, but Shinji had spent enough of the last three or four years studying the process to know that the DNA connection she shared with him was only about 0.00021 percent. The incorporation of Lilith's genetic material had warped Rei's genes to the point where only her physical appearance spoke of Yui's DNA, and even that was stretching it. Yui had brown hair and brown eyes, as far as Shinji could remember. Rei had blue hair and red eyes, and it had been these exotic looks that had first drawn Shinji to her.

Of course, with largest aspect of Kaworu's last gift to Shinji, the boy's DNA was also warped beyond recognition. Where before, Shinji had calm brown hair and blue eyes, thanks to Tabris' parting present, Shinji now had messy white hair and red eyes. Unlike Kaworu, whose hair had been a soft grayish blue, Shinji's hair was as pure as snow and lacked any real color. If he had to describe how his messy mane fell now, Shinji would say it looked similar to the style of his favorite manga character, Hiiro Yui.

You could say that Shinji was obsessed with the fictional Gundam pilot, to the extent that he had sometimes considered changing his name (his hatred for his father also had something to do with that). He supposed it had something to do with the way Hiiro handled himself; cool and calm. He was unshakable, and never let anyone in on how he really felt. During battle, this allowed him to fight without his emotions causing him to fumble. Shinji wished he had that kind of calm in the midst of a fight, but he could lay no claim to that.

It was while he was reading the Gundam Wing manga that Shinji had come up with an idea. A genius one at that. He'd read enough about Hiiro and his unit to know the ins and outs of the Zero system, so why not build his own Zero system? Why not create that powerful program that relayed tactical information directly to the pilot's brain? It was after this idea struck him that Shinji thanked Tabris profusely for his gift(s), the blueprints for Eva Unit 01, even though the Angel of Free Will couldn't hear him.

So, after that, Shinji spent the next two years leading up to his next meeting with Gendo building his Zero system, designed specifically for his Eva, Unit 01.

"_I guess," _Shinji mused quietly, _"that I should pick a name for myself, now that I'm officially part angel. But what sounds good?"_

A loud screech met Shinji's ears and he could see a speeding object out of the corner of his eye nearly fifty meters down the road. Standing up straight, Shinji opened his eyes fully, his hand reaching down and picking up the luggage he had carried with him. He hadn't really packed much, so it was rather light, even though the little black box that contained the Zero system rested inside. The only thing else he brought in his backpack was a few changes of clothes and his walkman.

Shinji scratched lightly at the itch between his shoulders. Tabris had explained that there would be two diagonal scars between his shoulder blades. They represented his identity as a Nephilim, an angel-human hybrid who had 'lost' his wings. He had explained that they were there as a mark of the sin that it took to conceive or create a Nephilim, even though, in Shinji's case, the end justified the means. Kaworu had them, and Rei probably did too.

A car slammed to a halt in front of him, and Shinji opened his eyes wide, his crimson gaze latching onto the somewhat dated looking red car in front of him. The purple haired exhibitionist from the photo sat behind the wheel, wearing an outfit much more conservative than Shinji might have expected were his only resource that picture.

"Are you Shinji Ikari?" She asked, her shaded eyes focused on Shinji's apathetic figure.

"Depends on who's asking," Shinji replied evenly. "Misato Katsuragi I presume?"

She flashed him a million-dollar grin, giving him a thumbs-up, "Yup. That's me!"

"Then we better get going," Shinji said, opening the passenger side door and sitting down. He needed to act oblivious. "After all, I still have to find out what Father wanted before that abomination destroys us."

The car sped off again, headed to the place called NERV. In all honesty, Shinji didn't much care what his father did or wanted, he had come simply because he wanted to save the future and Rei. Gendo Ikari would, Shinji knew, attempt to destroy humanity, and was now calling for him to pilot the giant bio-machine known as Evangelion Unit 01. Shinji, knowing what would happen if he went, had answered the beckon without much of a second thought.

Making a hard left, Misato pulled out a pair of binoculars to better observe the monster as something caught her eyes. She swore, "Oh shit! They're going to use an N2 mine!"

Flinging the binoculars to the floor, she dove on top of Shinji, pushing him into the seat as a massive shock wave sent the car tumbling. Shinji couldn't help the blush that crossed his cheeks, Misato's generous bust pressed against his face as her tackle sent them into the confines of the car's comfortable seats. It was just as embarrassing the second time as it was the first.

Desperately trying to pull himself from the embarrassing position he was in, Shinji climbed from the toppled car as the blast from the explosion subsided, a dark blush still coloring his face. As he stood, Misato followed him, extracting herself from the red prison that had quickly replaced their set of wheels.

"Well," Misato said lightly. "At least it's still intact. Come on, let's flip it back over."

Shaking his head at her ridiculousness, he stood next to her, adding his hands to the machine's side as well. With a mighty heave, the car was flipped back over into the right position. Silently, the two of them reentered the car, and a few seconds later, they were cruising down the road again.

"So, I imagine it's going to be quite a surprise to see your father," Misato said conversationally.

"No, not really," Shinji said lightly. "Not unless he's wearing a dress."

Misato laughed, glancing at him for a second, before giving in to her curiosity, "What's with the eyes? They remind me of Rei."

"A genetic mutation," Shinji replied simply, "caused by contact I had with an ethereal being that bestowed upon me this blessing."

"Really? What do they do?"

"Various things," Shinji told her. "Including 360° vision and the ability to see through most objects…such as clothing."

Misato squeaked, falling silent in an effort to hide her embarrassment. Shinji smirked. It seemed as though Misato didn't like the idea of people seeing her in the buff as much as she tried to portray. He'd finally pulled one on the older woman.

"I'm kidding, Katsuragi-san."

Misato visibly relaxed, until he spoke again, "They can't see three-hundred-sixty degrees."

Shinji laughed as she turned red, glaring at him as she realized she'd been had. He shot her a cheeky grin.

Suddenly, Misato's cell phone rang.

"That must be headquarters," she mumbled to herself, flipping open the phone. "Misato here. Yes, yes I've got him. Well, there was a small incident with that N2 mine, but we'll be there soon. Yes. Don't worry. His safety is my top priority. Look, can you get a car train for us? An express of course. Well I did volunteer to pick him up, so it's only my duty to make sure he gets there. Later." She put the small phone away and concentrated on driving.

In what seemed to be no time at all, they had stopped at station where they would be catching their ride, and soon, they were on their way to see Commander Ikari. Of course, to Shinji, that man would always be 'Father', even if he didn't think of the man that way. It ticked Gendo off to no end to be called something so endearing.

Shinji glanced out the window, mentally noting all the places he'd been to before, "Hmm. So this is a Geofront?"

"Yup," Misato said brightly. "This is our last hope against the angels."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Shinji walked behind Misato, pretending to read through the NERV pamphlet he'd been sent in the mail. They were wandering around the Geofront, and Shinji knew they were helplessly lost. Misato sucked at telling directions, and it would be ridiculously suspicious if he knew the way.

"Misato?" he asked tentatively.

"What is it?" she asked back, glancing around searchingly.

"We've been walking for a while now," he told her, mentally marking their location, "haven't we reached my father's office yet?"

"Sh-shut up!" Misato stuttered, turning her head to glare at him. "Just shut up and follow me, okay?"

Finally, as they were walking down a corridor that Shinji _barely_ recognized, a door opened behind them and a faux blonde walked out, saying, "Where are you two going?"

Misato and Shinji turned around to see Ritsuko Akagi, hands in her lab coat pockets, an eyebrow arched in question, "You're late, Captain Katsuragi."

"O-oh," Misato turned around, grinning nervously, "Hey there, Ritsuko."

"So late, in fact, that I was sent to find you," Ritsuko said, as if she were talking about the weather. Then she got serious, scolding even, "We have neither the time nor the manpower for such nonsense! Really, Misato! You got lost?"

"S-sorry!" Misato stuttered, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. "I still haven't got the layout of this place memorized yet!"

At that moment, Ritsuko seemed to finally realize that Shinji was standing there as well and smiled coyly, "Oh? So this is the Third Child everyone is talking about?"

"Shinji Ikari," Shinji said, inclining his head quietly. He noticed Ritsuko's smile slip a bit at the hushed monotone he used, realizing that he probably reminded her of Rei, "Nice to meet you."

"I-I'm Ritsuko Akagi of the first engineering division," it took her a second to regain her composure, he noticed. "P-Pleased to meet you."

She opened a door, motioning for him to follow, "Come along, Shinji. There's something I want to show you before you meet your father."

Nodding, Shinji followed her through the door, knowing _exactly_ where she was taking him. It was almost time.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Shinji took in the face of the giant purple robot, raising a barely noticeable eyebrow beneath his snowy white hair. Knowledge of the creature would be suspicious, so he asked, "So this is what my father has been working on?"

"Correct," a deep voice boomed. Shinji turned slowly to look at the glass observatory at the top of the room. His father stood up there, presumably the one who had spoken.

"It's been a while," Gendo said, his face ever impassive.

"Old man," Shinji acknowledged quietly.

Gendo raised one of his own eyebrows, "You've dyed your hair and wear contacts? This is new."

"Dye? Contacts?" Shinji chuckled. "This is natural, all of it! It's a gift from the one I consider my brother."

There was a pause, then, making no indication of having heard his son, Gendo said, "We're moving out."

Misato did a double take, absolutely surprised by the turn of events.

"Moving out?" she asked, confused. "But Unit Zero is still in cryo-stasis…" Her eyes widened as she realized what the commander intended to do. "Wait a minute, you're going to use Unit One?"

Ritsuko looked at the major, sighing almost unnoticeably. "There's no other way," she said.

"Now wait!" Misato said, throwing her hands up. "Rei can't do it yet, can she? We don't have a pilot!"

Ritsuko glanced at Shinji, and then focused her eyes back on Misato. "We just received one."

Misato stared at Ritsuko for almost a full ten seconds, eyes wide, as if the doctor had grown a second head, "You're serious?"

Ritsuko turned to Shinji, whose laugh had dwindled down to a soft snicker.

"Shinji Ikari," Ritsuko said. "You will pilot it."

Misato shook her head vigorously, her opposition to the idea clear, "But even Rei took at least seven months to synchronize with her EVA! There's no way he could do it! He just got here!"

"He just has to sit in the seat," Ritsuko put a hand on Misato's shoulder, trying to calm her. "We don't really expect much more from him."

"Has he agreed?" Gendo was standing above the scene again, his arms behind his back.

"No," Shinji said quickly, cutting off whatever the Doctor and Captain Katsuragi might have said. "I get that you want me to pilot this monstrosity, but I don't see a reason to. What's in it for me? What do I get in return?"

Ignoring the quaking Geofront, Gendo inclined his head and snapped his fingers, seeming to have only heard the word 'no', "If you won't pilot it, I'll have to get someone who will."

A sound caught Shinji's ears. It was the sound of small wheels, like those on the bottom of an easy chair, squeaking as they rolled along a tile floor. Slowly, Shinji turned his head and looked towards the end of the iron mesh walkway. There, on a hospital bed, wrapped in bandages and with IV needles protruding from her arm, lay a pale skinned, blue haired girl, with one of her crimson eyes covered by the bandage that wrapped tightly around her head.

Shinji felt déjà vu creep up his spine as he caught sight of her. He remembered her from the memory of this exact same day, rolled out on that stretcher for the exact same reason. He felt his hatred for Gendo increase. The bastard was using Rei to get him to pilot obediently. Shinji's eyes narrowed. He'd pay for it eventually.

"Rei," Gendo said calmly, no hint of remorse in his voice, "our spare is useless. You must do it again."

Panting painfully, the girl's voice shook as she spoke, "Y-yes, sir."

There was a shock wave, and everything suddenly lurched, knocking the doctors down and nearly jarring the girl from her bed. The doctors, surprised by the quake, fell into the disinfectant below, screaming as it ate away at their bodies. Misato, Ritsuko, and Shinji held fast to the railing, managing to stay upright. Shinji was jerked from his surprise by a soft gasp of pain, his dark eyes latching on to the girl's shaking form.

There was a loud creak as a large metal beam fell from the ceiling towards the prone girl laying on the frail gurney. Faster than he could rationalize his reasons, Shinji took off, racing towards her. As the huge beam hit the walkway and knocked Rei off her stretcher, he caught her gently, cradling her in his arms.

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, he turned his smoldering red gaze up to his father, holding back a snarl. Venom dripping from his words, he said, "Fine! I'll pilot the damn thing!"

Carefully setting Rei back down on the cold walkway, he leaned forward to whisper in her ear. Quietly, he told her, "I'll pilot it…_for you_."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

As he sat down in the entry plug, Shinji pulled a small black box out of his pocket. While the cameras were still off, he slid open a panel on the headrest, quickly reconstructing the tangle of wires within. After he had finished disconnecting the right wires, he hooked them up to his little black box, watching as a small light on the cube flashed green, then red. Smirking, he fit the box into place amongst the circuits and closed the panel, righting himself in the seat. The cameras flickered to life.

"Cooling down cycle complete! All internal cage systems in docking position!"

"Pilot has reached the cockpit position within the entry plug!"

"Roger! Inserting entry plug!"

Several cables snapped loose loudly as the entry plug was inserted, swinging away from where they had been. The EVA's head slid back into position, locking the entry plug into place with the dorsal hatch. Shinji's features remained unwavering, his eyes set determinedly and his face etched into a firm, serious scowl.

"Plug lock-in procedure complete!"

"Initiating first level interface!" Maya Ibuki called out, Ritsuko and Misato nodding behind her. "Flooding Entry Plug!"

Shinji looked down in feigned surprise as LCL rushed up from the bottom of the entry plug, rising quickly up his body, "Wh-what?!"

"Don't be alarmed!" Ritsuko's face appeared within a small, nearly opaque window a few feet from his head. "Once your lungs are saturated with the LCL, you'll be able to undergo direct oxygen exchange!"

"Calm down, Shinji!" Misato shouted. "You'll get used to it in a minute."

Tensing, Shinji calmed and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as the liquid rose above his head and engulfed his body. His face twisted in disgust. He'd never get used to the coppery, blood-like taste of the fluid. No matter how often he had to breathe LCL, he'd never be able to do any more than tolerate it.

"Main power connected!" Maya shouted, eyes glued to the screen in front of her. "All circuits fully functional! Initiating power up sequence!"

"A10 neural synapses operating within normal limits! First contact all clear! Opening reciprocal circuits!"

Misato's eyes widened as Ritsuko whispered, "This is _incredible_!"

On the screen showing Shinji's sync ratio, three digits glowed brightly, unwavering in even the slightest point: eighty-eight point six percent. All who could twisted in their seats, leaning over to try and glimpse what had stupefied the three women.

Pulling herself out of her shock, Maya said, "S-synchro errors are within zero point three percent."

"It's going to work," Ritsuko whispered, turning to Misato. It seemed to pull the other woman from her stupor.

"Evangelion Unit 01, prepare to launch!" the captain shouted.

"Releasing primary lock bolt!" Maya yelled, a large lock disengaging seconds later. "Release confirmed! Releasing umbilical bridge!"

The walkway Shinji had been on earlier zoomed away from the motionless machine, exposing the part of the beast's chest that had been hidden.

"Releasing primary and secondary restraints! Releasing safety locks 1 through 15!" several more locks around the large robot's body disengaged, freeing it just a little further. Only the arm restraints remained.

"Internal battery fully charged! External power outlet nominal! Transporting Eva to launch elevator!"

The metal tile the machine was standing on moved backwards, taking the giant robot with it. It stopped as it collided softly with a wall, causing its cargo to rattle slightly.

"Gate five, standby! Launch path clear! All green! Launch preparations are complete!"

"Roger!" Misato shouted, turning around. "Commander Ikari, do we proceed?"

Gendo merely stared at her from over his folded hands, saying, "Of course we proceed. If we fail to defeat the angels, humanity has no future."

Misato spun around, shouting, "Launch!"

As the pad underneath Unit 01 crackled with electricity and shot upward towards the surface, taking the monstrous mecha with it, Shinji could only smirk lightly. So far, so good.

In a matter of seconds, a gate opened and Unit 01 came up through it, the elevator slamming to a halt. Standing about 100 yards in front of the purple beast, the greenish monster that Shinji knew to be Sachiel stared, frozen in place.

"This is it, Shinji," Misato's voice crackled over the intercom. "Releasing final safety locks!"

The arm restraints jumped from the violet mecha's forearms and shoulders, freeing it at last. There was a pause, everyone breathlessly waiting for something to happen, then Shinji's voice lit up on the intercom within the Geofront.

"Um…how do I work this thing? Does it come with an instruction manual?"

The entire bridge crew was silent for nearly ten seconds, then Ritsuko leaned over Maya's shoulder and looked at the video feed showing Shinji, "Just _concentrate._ Focus your mind on the _concept_ of walking, running, etc. The Eva is operated through mental effort! Your actions are only limited by your mental abilities!"

There was another pause as Ritsuko got a foreboding feeling from the tiny smirk on Shinji's lips as his voice appeared again, "So…the EVA's abilities are only limited by my mind? I can do practically _anything_?"

"Now, Shinji, I didn't say _tha_—"

"Thanks, Doctor Akagi." Shinji interrupted, turning his attention back to the angel.

"Concentrate," the bridge crew listened in intently as Shinji whispered to himself. "Concentrate…"

The EVA's hand suddenly shot out, palm up and fingers spread tensely. It looked like it was holding an invisible, Eva-sized basketball, its grip tight so as to keep from dropping it. Then, just as suddenly, it clenched its hand, a sword of flame clutched within its grasp.

The bridge crew was silent, but for the small background noise that filtered in and the occasional crash as someone fell from their chair in surprise. The background noise steadily grew, loud enough for the entire group to hear but too quiet to be distinct and decipherable. No one paid it any attention.

No one but Ritsuko, anyway. She turned from the screen to Maya, saying, "Turn up the volume! I want to know what that background noise is!"

"Roger!" Maya cried, fulfilling the command of her superior.

Music suddenly lit up the bridge, the chanted lyrics strong and overlapping the heavy beating of drums:

"_Estuans interius  
ira vehementi.  
Estuans interius  
ira vehementi.  
Se-phi-roth!  
Se-phi-roth!"_

"Incredible," Ritsuko whispered, her face locked in an expression of awe. "He's directly linked his thoughts to the audio system in the entry plug, feeding this song through it and playing it as a sort of 'theme song'. I never even thought of something like this!"

"_Estuans interius  
ira vehementi.  
Estuans interius  
ira vehementi.  
Se-phi-roth!  
Se-phi-roth!"_

"What are they singing?" Misato asked, turning to the doctor. "I don't recognize it."

"One Winged Angel," Ritsuko said. "It's from a pre-Second Impact video game called Final Fantasy VII. Only…it's not possible. After Second Impact, the game became so rare that it was almost impossible to find. The movie based after the game, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, is even harder to find."

"I asked about the lyrics," Misato replied flatly.

"'Burning inside with violent anger. Burning inside with violent anger', that's what it means," Ritsuko told her. "It's sung in Latin. Many of the fans who played the game and liked Sephiroth considered him the 'Angel of Vengeance' or the 'Angel of War'."

"_Veni, veni, venias,  
Ne me mori facias.  
Veni, veni, venias,  
Ne me mori facias."_

"'Come, come, O come,'" Fuyutsuki translated, face set in a stoic frown. "'Do not let me die'."

"But," Ritsuko said, frowning, "how did he find this music? Where could he have come across the game or even the soundtrack made _for_ the game? The Playstation game system is almost impossible to find and is so outdated that the latest models don't even play the game disks. How is this happening?"

"_Veni, veni, venias, (Gloriosa)  
Ne me mori facias. (Generosa)  
Veni, veni, venias, (Gloriosa)  
Ne me mori facias. (Generosa)"_

"There could be several different reasons," Gendo said, interrupting the conversation. "Right now, it doesn't matter."

"_Se-phi-roth!  
Se-phi-roth!"_

The entire crew turned back to the screen showing the battle as Shinji let out a war cry and charged towards the angel, fire-sword brandished threateningly. In response, the Angel's right hand shot out, intent on grabbing the Evangelion's head. It missed as Shinji ducked, moving inside the creature's guard and stabbing the flaming sword into the demonic beast's right shoulder.

"_Estuans interius  
ira vehementi.  
Estuans interius  
ira vehementi.  
Se-phi-roth!  
Se-phi-roth!"_

With a cry from Shinji and a screech of pain from the angel, Sachiel's right arm was severed from his body. Smoke and steam rose from the angel's stump of a right shoulder as Shinji pulled back, rearing up for another slash. He ducked beneath a retaliatory left hook and swung his sword, cutting both legs off at the knees.

As the demonic creature flailed on the ground, Shinji brought his sword to bear again and slashed a third time at the beast's downed form. It flailed even harder as the sword of fire severed its left arm too, an angry hissing filling the air as steam rose from the vacant left shoulder. It was powerless up against the demon that was Unit 01.

"_Estuans interius  
ira vehementi.  
Estuans interius  
ira vehementi.  
Se-phi-roth!  
Se-phi-roth!"_

"Hurry, Shinji!" Misato cried. "Kill before it can regenerate its limbs!"

"There's no chance of that, Misato," Shinji's calm voice replied. "Wounds made of this type of fire take _weeks_ to heal properly."

As the angel wiggled around on the ground, it began to glow, its red core shining brightly.

"It's going to self-destruct!" Ritsuko cried urgently.

Snarling, Shinji stabbed downward, piercing the crimson orb of Sachiel like a hot knife through butter. Silence ruled for a few seconds, the glow receding, then the Third Angel fell back to the ground, quiet as the still darkness surrounding it.

Shinji sighed, the flame sword dissipating into nothingness, and looked around himself, grimacing. The city had suffered a great deal of damage from Sachiel as well as when the beast had been thrashing around without its limbs. Its right arm had landed on a building, crushing it by sheer force of gravity.

Leaning back, Shinji closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, willing away his headache. The Zero System had worked perfectly, making it much easier for him to predict the Angel's moves and dodge around them, but it left him with one hell of a migraine afterwards. He quickly ruled out the system having any defects, having slaved over the thing for nearly three years before deeming it perfect. He'd just have to get used to using it.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Shinji ran a hand through his snowy hair, sighing in exasperation as walked through the halls of the NERV hospital. The hospital staff had insisted he stay overnight for observation after he had gotten out of the entry plug, claiming that they wanted to see what effects piloting the giant thing had on him.

He looked up as the squeak of tiny wheels filtered into his ears, watching two doctors move a gurney with Rei on it in his direction. Stopping the doctors for a second, both of whom threw him an irritated glare, Shinji turned to the girl in the moveable bed. Smiling, he reached down and cupped her uninjured cheek, "Get better, okay, Rei? Pretty girls shouldn't have to wear bandages."

He smiled as they wheeled her away, a small blush on her face. They were stopped again by the Commander, his father, who leaned over her bed and said something. He didn't hear what, nor was he sure he wanted to know, but Rei said something back, prompting Gendo to look over at Shinji.

Their eyes met, and Shinji tried to convey all the hatred he had for the man in one, flaming glare. Gendo, his eyes icy, gazed back without flinching, seemingly unconcerned with the hatred his son held for him. Then, the instant was over and Gendo turned away, following the gurney down the hall.

"Such a _cold_ man!" Misato said, walking up next to Shinji. "Surely his soul-weary son deserves a kind word or two!"

"Misato," Shinji said, glancing at her from over his shoulder. She smiled brightly.

"I came to pick you up!"

Misato followed him as he strolled back towards his room, "I heard you were kept for observation, and then that you were okay…I'm glad, Shinji."

Shinji smiled, "Thanks, Misato-san."

"I can take you to your place," she told him. "HQ's got it all set up. You're rated private quarters."

Scowling at the memory of the shrinking form of his father, Shinji wasn't really listening, "Sure…"

Misato frowned, "Hey, are you okay with living on your own? If you submit a petition, you could arrange to live with your father."

"No," Shinji said, glaring at the twisting hallway Gendo had disappeared behind. "That's alright. I feel more at ease alone. Besides…I don't _want_ to live with my old man."

"Oh, come on, don't be silly!" Misato smiled. "Parents and children _naturally_ live together! Don't hold back — if there's something you want to say, let it out…"

Shinji sighed, "It's none of your business, Misato-san."

"Hey, what's with that tone?" Misato said loudly. "I'm just worried about you, that's all!"

Shinji turned a single eye, his smirk hidden behind his shoulder, "Don't you have _enough_ to worry about?"

"So gloomy," Misato said, glaring at him in a creepy manner. "Like some kind of mood disorder…_I'll_ fix that personality of yours."

She turned around and pulled out her cell phone, dialing the number at what seemed the speed of light, "Hello, Ritsuko. Yeah, it's me. It's about Shinji, he's going to be living with me for a little while."

Misato laughed at something Ritsuko said, though Shinji could see a vein protruding on her forehead, "Don't be a worry wart! I'm not so desperate that I'd jump a _child_. Just go get me the proper approval from upstairs, okay? See ya!"

She flipped the phone closed before Ritsuko could say anything in response, grasping his arm tightly and nearly dragging him away.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"Ha, ha, ha!" Misato laughed as they zoomed away from NERV headquarters, her car performing dangerous stunts all over the pavement. "Today we're going to party!"

Shinji sighed, staring out the window, his thoughts locked on his most important person, "What's there to party about?"

"A welcoming party for my new roommate, of course!" Misato said joyfully, glancing at the moody Shinji.

Frowning at the respect he'd seen in Rei's eyes when she'd talked to Gendo, Shinji glared out the window, "Forgive me if I'm not in the partying mood."

"Geez!" Misato whined exasperatedly. "What are you all upset about, now?"

Shinji's frown deepened as he realized that, as far as he knew, Rei still had a pair of the Commander's nearly-broken glasses sitting in her room, "Nothing…"

"Hey, I got it!" Misato swerved dangerously, taking a new route. "Just a small detour on the way, okay?"

After a few more minutes of driving, Misato pulled to a stop at a very familiar place and both occupants of the red car stepped out. In a dazed state of déjà vu, Shinji followed Misato as she walked up to the fence a few yards away.

He barely heard her remark as she checked her watch, "It's almost time…"

As the sun rose and the hidden buildings shot out of the ground, Shinji felt just as awed as when he'd first seen it. Quietly, he whispered, "Beautiful…"

"This is Tokyo-3, Shinji. The city blocks were lowered into the Geofront for the attack," Misato said softly, explaining the sight to him. "_Our_ city, designed to withstand a siege from the angels."

Shinji had a slightly narcissistic thought about how it couldn't withstand a siege from _him_ if he really wanted to destroy it. It was gone an instant later, though, simply because such a thought was un-Shinji-ish.

"More than that," Misato smiled lightly, speaking just as softly as before, "the city _you_ defended."

Shinji blushed, staring at his toes with a slight smile, "I-it wasn't as heroic as you make it sound. Sure, I piloted the Eva, and I did defeat the angel…but it wasn't to 'save humanity' or anything like that."

He looked towards the rising sun, his smile more firm, "I piloted it…to make sure that _Rei_ didn't have to."

"Well, I don't know what your definition of a hero is," Misato gripped Shinji's shoulder firmly, comfortingly, "but that sure sounds like a hero to me."

She grinned lecherously, "Just don't go getting her pregnant on us, hero, or you'll both be in _big_ trouble."

Shinji blushed like a beet, shouting, "Mi-Misato!"

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

With a little difficulty, Rei pushed open the door to her apartment, halfheartedly considering the idea of asking for help from Section Two. The idea was tossed away as quickly as it came, however, and Rei walked through the door, her right arm slung in a cast and her right eye covered in protective gauze.

The moment she leveled her gaze on the tiny space of her desolate apartment, her eyebrows shot up into her hairline, her eyes widening in surprise involuntarily. Her room, her bed, her kitchen, her entire apartment was spotless. No stains covered her sheets, no clothes lay discarded on the floor, no longer did bloody bandages grace her trashcan or litter the tiles beneath her feet. It was clean, swept, and dusted.

Rei stared around in amazement, wondering if she had perhaps made a small error in apartments and was in the wrong one. She discarded this thought as she came upon the sight of a pair of cracked glasses sitting innocently upon a piece of her furniture, belonging to Commander Gendo Ikari. This was her apartment, but it did not look like it.

Her gaze turned to the windows, where freshly laundered drapes hung around the sides, allowing bright sunlight to filter in through the glass panes. The window itself had been cleaned, as well, to the point where she had trouble seeing the glass. It had been dusted and the scuff marks had disappeared too. It was too fresh to have been cleaned more than two hours before.

The smell of detergent brought Rei's attention to the sink that lay in her kitchen, prompting her mouth to fall open only slightly. Where, before, dish upon dish had been piled up in her sink, waiting to be washed, now there was an empty sink, devoid of the offending porcelain utensils. It was cleaned and scrubbed to the point that the sunlight streaming through the window easily reflected off of the shiny metal.

Rei's attention deviated again as the sound of music filled her ears. Someone, presumably a teenage male, was humming 'Ode to Joy' rather loudly, filling the entire apartment with a heavenly smoothness she didn't know the human voice possessed. Quickly, she deduced that the humming was coming from the bathroom, and she knew that she wasn't alone in her apartment.

The humming got louder as the bathroom door opened and light from the restroom lit up the small hallway the led up to it. A head of snowy white hair poked out, sideways and about level with Rei's knees. The head looked very familiar, from the style of the hair, all the way down to the red eyes and smile. Instantly, Rei blushed, remembering the last words she had heard from the mouth that smile belonged to.

"Hm, hm, hm, hm-hm, hm, hm, hm," Shinji sang, straightening and walking out of the bathroom. His hands, covered by latex gloves, held a large bag of garbage. Continuing his song, he walked past her as if she weren't there, went through her door, and tossed the gloves and the trash bag into a nearby open dumpster. They landed with a dull crash, the result of throwing something from so high up.

Only when he walked back in, turned off the bathroom light and turned to leave did he seem to notice her, his song abruptly ending. He blinked, mouth open slightly, then grinned sheepishly, "Uh…Hi, Rei."

"Ikari," Rei acknowledged. "Why are you here?"

"Ah," Shinji responded, still grinning. "I came to check up on you. I found out you lived here from Misato, so I came here to see if you were feeling better, but you weren't here. Your room was a mess, so…I kind of just cleaned it."

"Why?" Rei asked, confused.

"Because you deserve to live in a good place," Shinji said firmly. "Living in a dump isn't good for you, so I cleaned it up."

"Why?" Rei repeated. "Why do this for me?"

"Because you're the reason I'm still here," he said, all trace of indecision and nervousness gone from his face. "Because you're the reason I piloted Eva, and you're the reason I will continue to pilot Eva. I pilot it because I don't want you to get hurt. You're…important to me, Rei."

"I…do not understand," Rei said, her voice uncertain. She was confused, and Shinji found it cute.

He smiled, "Don't worry about it too much. You will eventually."

Moving closer to her, he lifted her injured arm from its sling, frowning when she flinched. Carefully, he lifted the bandaged limb towards himself with his left hand, placing his right atop her forearm. Reflexive tears welled up in the corners of Rei's visible eye, her brow crinkling slightly.

Shinji's hand glowed with a soft white light and Rei's face relaxed into its normal neutral look. A soft warm sensation spread along her injured arm, from her fingertips to her shoulder. It was a soothing warmth, wholly comfortable and extremely gentle. Were Rei an ordinary girl who grew up in an ordinary way, she would probably describe it as the 'Touch of an Angel'.

Shinji smiled, "There. I healed your broken arm, but I'm afraid I can't do anything about your eye. Eye tissue is too delicate. I mess up, and you could go blind."

Quietly, Shinji walked past the stunned Rei, heading for her door. He was just about to leave when she spoke up, causing him to halt and look back at her, "Ikari-kun."

She looked at him, face crinkling in concentration, as if struggling to find the words she wanted to use, "Thank you."

Smiling brightly, Shinji waved, then disappeared, replaced by three raven black feathers that slowly drifted to the ground. The next day, were it not for her healed arm and her clean apartment, Rei would have questioned whether or not it had all been a hallucination caused by her pain killers.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"_And so, while mankind has always praised the maturation of culture that comes with the advancement of science, the time came when all was reduced to ashes. It was the last year of the twentieth century. I'm sure you all know about the great meteor impact in Antarctica."_

The wrinkly old teacher straightened his thick glasses, then continued with his lecture, "As a result of that event, the ice of the continent evaporated in an instant and the sea level rose by sixty meters. The world was assaulted by droughts, floods, volcanic eruptions, and all the ensuing economic panics and racial conflicts."

"So," one girl asked quietly, whispering to her neighbor, "did you hear? All the guys have been talking about it."

"_In a mere six months, half the human population was lost forever."_

"About what?" the other girl asked back, leaning over her desk slightly to better hear the answer.

"You know that boy who transferred in yesterday?" the first girl asked, grinning excitedly. "They say he's the pilot of that robot."

"_This event has come to be called 'The Second Impact'."_

"What? You're kidding!" the second girl hissed loudly. "Are you serious?"

Both girls quickly snapped back to their proper positions as the teacher looked up at them, pausing in his lecture. He peered at them from behind his glasses, his expression unchanging. Shinji felt a small smile cross his face. He doubted the old man knew what was going on.

Shinji glanced over at Rei, whose head quickly snapped back to staring out the window, a slight pink tingeing her cheeks. A smile twitched at the corners of his mouth as he realized she had been staring at him, and he'd caught her in the act.

Rei resisted the urge to reach up and feel her burning cheeks, knowing that it would only bring more attention to herself. She couldn't explain why she was blushing, and she knew that that was what was happening to her, but she didn't know what had prompted her to stare at her fellow pilot. Something just felt…_right_ about Shinji Ikari, as if her true purpose were to spend her life with him instead of being the Commander's tool in the Human Instrumentality project.

She couldn't explain it, just like she couldn't explain why she found it hard to breathe when she thought of Naoko Akagi. There was simply some part of her that recognized him as a key figure in her life, whether or not she knew why. And…the way he'd held her hand and healed her…

A memory suddenly popped up in Rei's mind of an event she had never known before. She was in her untidy apartment, naked upon the cold floor and lying prostrate. Shinji, with dark brown hair and blue eyes, kneeled above her, one hand on the floor holding himself up, and the other placed softly on her right breast. His right knee was pressed up against the apex of her thighs, his pants teasing a very sensitive part of her female body.

Still, the Rei lying on the floor, who Rei was sure wasn't the real her, did not so much as blush at the intimate contact, staring blankly into Shinji's surprised and horrified face. Then, with speed born of fear, Shinji flew backwards, backing against the wall and apologizing profusely, his eyes shut tightly. He was bowing, begging for her forgiveness, and yet the Rei lying on the floor did nothing but stare at him expressionlessly.

Just as suddenly as it began, the memory ended and Rei was again sitting at her desk in classroom 2-A. Nothing had changed during her brief trip into that strange memory, nor had anyone seemed to notice her spacing out. Rei frowned slightly, curious about what she had seen.

Maybe she should ask the Commander…? No. Rei mentally shook her head very strongly, before realizing that such a reaction was unbefitting of her character. Ever since Pilot Ikari had healed her, she'd been having very strong negative feelings towards the Commander, as though he'd betrayed the deepest of trusts she'd had in him. She found it hard to refute these feelings, deciding instead to ignore them.

But these…changes in her personality were most troubling, and something was definitely amiss with the entire situation. She would wait until she could gather further details…and maybe she would ask Shinji about this strange memory.

"_That was fifteen years ago, and in a mere fifteen years, we've come this far. One could attribute this to man's inherent greatness, but it would be closer to the truth to say it was the result of your parent's blood and toil —the fruit of their labors."_

As soon as the bell rang, the two girls who had been whispering before stopped Shinji from moving by walking up to his desk, saying, "Hey, Ikari! Got a minute?"

The blonde one leaned towards him excitedly, "How come you transferred here just as people were starting to evacuate?"

Shinji almost blinked at the question, realizing that he had forgotten about all of the questions and inquiring minds that would descend upon him shortly after the first battle.

He was given no time to answer as the blonde continued to ask, "So the rumor's true, isn't it?"

Shinji blinked, "Rumor?"

"Don't play dumb!" the brunette scolded him. "The rumor that you're that robot's _pilot_!"

"Is it true?" the blonde asked immediately, staring at him eagerly.

Shinji glanced around, noticing that the entire class was listening, _waiting_ for his answer. He sighed, "Yeah, it's true."

"Oh my god!" the blonde screeched. "I knew it!"

The response was immediate.

"That's so _cool_! How'd they choose you?"

"Was there a test or something?"

"Weren't you scared?"

"Does it have a special attack?"

Shinji blinked again at the last one. Special attack? _EVA_? He nearly snorted. The day an Evangelion had any sort of secret ability or special attack was the day Gendo smiled for him genuinely, without any hidden meanings behind it. He was so wrapped up in the ridiculousness that the class took his silence for an 'I can't tell you'.

"Well, tell us _this_," a different blonde girl said, leaning urgently over his desk. "What _was_ that monster? Was it some country's secret weapon?"

Shinji paused for a second, thinking back to the hulking form of Sachiel, and the different shapes and abilities of the other angels, "I don't know for sure, and I doubt anyone but my superiors know much about it either, but they called it an 'Angel'."

"You think you're _all_ that, but you don't know anything, do you?" Shinji turned to regard the boy at the door wearing a tracksuit. "What are you— stupid?"

The boy Shinji recognized as Toji stood straight up, ready to make his way toward Shinji when Hikari Horaki, the class representative, stopped him. She said, "Oh! Suzuhara! You missed a whole week of school without permission!"

"It ain't any of your concern!" Toji told her loudly. "Shut up!"

He turned from the pigtailed girl, pushing a desk out of his way as he sauntered up to Shinji. Loudly, he slammed his right hand down on Shinji's desk, leaning forward in what he tried to make an intimidating pose, "Hey, new kid! Step outside, _now_!"

Shrugging, Shinji stood.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

The sun shown brightly in the vacant lot, bathing its occupants in its bright rays. The pavement glowed a yellowish gray, the cement reflecting the unnaturally bright sunlight. Toji paced across it, throwing Shinji a glare every now and then.

"Okay, new kid, listen up!" Shinji was reminded of a drill sergeant by the strict force behind Touji's voice. "My younger sister was hurt _bad_— she's still in the hospital! My dad and grandpa both work in _your_ lab, so I'm the only one who can go see her."

Toji stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jacket, glaring at Shinji, "Now, it's not the going there that I mind, but suppose she has a scar? She'll never be a babe! Don't you feel sorry for her?"

He moved a little closer, nearly hissing his next words, "Whose fault do you think it was?"

Shinji just stared, running multiple scenarios through his head. He needed one that caused the least damage, one that didn't get him or Touji hurt in the process. Having no solid connection to NERV, Touji's word wouldn't be considered credible if he claimed something outrageous about Shinji, and he doubted Touji would do something like that anyway. It wasn't his style.

"It's _your_ fault!" he jabbed his finger accusingly at Shinji, yelling, "She was pinned under rubble because _you_ had to go playing with your new toy! Don't think you're so hot just because _they're_ all over you!"

"Sorry," Shinji said, "but I don't understand what you want me to do about it."

'_Healing a wound like that…'_ Shinji thought, his brow mentally furrowing. _'Pinned under rubble? That sounds a lot worse than a mere broken arm. Healing her now would only reveal me too soon.'_

"You little punk!" Toji swung his fist, intent on landing a solid blow on Shinji's jaw.

It stopped mere inches from Shinji's nose, hovering in front of the Third Child's face with no sign of moving any closer. From her position in the window a few floors up, Rei nearly gasped with surprise. In front of Touji's fist was a transparent force field, orange hexagonal ripples washing away in waves from the point were the jock's closed hand had collided with it.

"This is as bright as the Light of my Soul can shine without alerting my superiors," Shinji commented, staring past the fist to the surprised eyes of Toji. Touji nearly flinched as they locked gazes. Shinji's eyes had a sorrowful, regretful look to them, as if he was doing something he hated, or had seen one too many horrid things. "As it is, you can't touch me."

"Why you— !" Toji reared his fist back again, ready to let another punch fly.

"Hey!" Hikari Horaki glared at Toji. "What are you guys doing?"

Toji backed away, dropping his arms to his sides, glaring vehemently at Shinji. He walked past the white-haired boy, noticing that the hexagonal ripples had disappeared as soon as his fist had stopped touching the invisible force field. Angrily, he hissed, "You got lucky today."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Shinji stood on top of the roof, looking out over the majestic form of Tokyo-3. He could sense Rei watching him from the side of the sheltered stairwell that led up to the roof of the school, but she was just barely out of his line of sight. She didn't want him to know she was there, so he wouldn't let her know he knew.

It wasn't a reaction he'd expected, but it wasn't too surprising, either. Tabris' final gift had been the memories and souls of Shinji's closest and most precious people. Everyone that was important to Shinji had been sent back in time as well, their memories locked away with Shinji as the only key. He needed to have a certain type of contact to unlock those memories, and Rei was, so far, the only one who he had achieved that contact with. No doubt, she was slowly remembering things that hadn't happened yet and didn't know what to do.

So, she, having undoubtedly deduced that he was the cause of those confusing memories, had decided to watch him and to ask the questions she wanted to ask. As soon as she figured out what questions she would ask of him, anyway. He didn't think she had a firm grasp on what she was going to ask about, nor did she have any idea how to word her queries.

She was, essentially, a mixture of the Rei from the current time and the Rei he had known before coming back. She was Rei II and Rei III, but her personality was split between the two. He doubted she would be completely Rei III by the time she had relived the experiences she'd been through in the future, but she would be different. That much he knew.

But…if memory held, Rei III didn't remember much of what had happened during the timeline. Did that mean that this Rei he had gifted would only remember bits and pieces about what was to come? He wasn't sure.

"Hello, Shinji," Shinji looked over at the translucent form of Kaworu leaning up against the railing. "Or maybe I should call you Sephiroth, the Angel of Vengeance?"

Shinji smiled, turning back towards the sky in front of him, "Astral projection, Kaworu? I didn't know you could do that."

"I don't think anyone knew, Shinji," Kaworu said, smiling. "The only one of my angelic powers that I ever used in full sight was my 'AT Field', as the Lilim call it."

Kaworu's face turned serious, "Have you done it?"

Shinji nodded, "Yes. Lilith's soul is gone. Rei is purely herself now."

Kaworu folded his arms, "That leaves me as the only one capable of being used for Instrumentality."

Kaworu cocked his head, smirking, "Of course, with _you_ here, there's no reason for me to start Third Impact, is there, Sephiroth?"

"No," Shinji shook his head. "Even if I must do so myself, SEELE and those responsible for Second Impact will be dealt with. I will do it. Even if I have to crash a meteor onto Tokyo-3, I will do it."

Detecting a hint of hesitation in Shinji's voice, Kaworu laid a translucent hand on his shoulder, "I know you don't like to hurt others, Shinji, and I will help you in our venture, but you have an obligation to our brothers and sisters…and to the human race. If Third Impact is to be averted, we must first rid ourselves of those responsible for the retribution of the Angels."

There was a silence as Kaworu's words floated in the air, the seriousness of his tone leaving no doubt that he was speaking the truth. This, Shinji knew. Those who had tried to experiment on Adam, the First Angel, in Antarctica nearly fifteen years ago brought on the presence of the Angels. There was nothing to be done but rid the world of those responsible, and the idea of killing others bothered Shinji, but there was something else that caught Shinji's attention.

"I have a question, Kaworu," Shinji turned to his ghostly friend. "Are the angels genetically related to one another?"

Kaworu blinked, then chuckled a little, sensing the moral distress in his voice, "No. To understand why we refer to each other as siblings, you must understand that the Angels love everything equally. Amongst the angels, who have no human soul, there is no romantic love or sexual desire.

"However, the same cannot be said about you Nephilim. Since you are part human and not purely angel, you have a human soul, and are capable of loves and other emotions that the Angels are not. This is why Nephilim who were originally Nephilim, like you and Rei, _not_ me, are capable of falling in love."

As Shinji smiled in relief, Kaworu felt a funny prickling on the back of his neck and smiled sadly, "I must go now, Shinji. See you later."

Shinji nodded as Kaworu started to fade away, "Bye, Tabris."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Rei sat down against the edge of the small building that hid the staircase to downstairs. Lilith's soul? Sephiroth, the Angel of Vengeance? Nephilim? The destruction of SEELE? Averting Third Impact? Love? What did all of these things mean?

Shinji was part Angel? The notion itself seemed absurd. After all, if Shinji was part angel, and he knew it, then why was he piloting the EVA against the beings called Angels? Wouldn't he have sided with Sachiel and the others, preferring to help his brethren annihilate the human race for their transgressions?

But it made sense. The sword of fire that Shinji had used to kill Sachiel, the Third Angel, was not a feature of the Evangelion, nor was it an ability that humans had. To use such an amazing ability, Shinji couldn't be fully human, and he'd have to have an intimate knowledge of the EVA's angelic nature.

Then there was the healing thing he'd pulled off at her apartment, completely curing her of her broken arm. Without any sort of mechanical device, he'd grabbed her arm and healed her injury as if it were a smudge of ink on her skin. No human was capable of doing that, but no angel could physically take on such a convincingly human form.

And Shinji said that he'd purged her of Lilith's soul, making her into her own person again. But she was still part angel herself, she could feel it. Her S2 organ was still pumping pure energy through her body and accelerating her healing, and her AT Field simmered just beneath the surface of her conscious, waiting to be used.

Did that mean…she was now an Angel, too? Her angel half no longer belonged to Lilith, so did that mean that she was a new Angel as well, just like Shinji? It made sense. Lilith was no longer a part of her, meaning that she still had an angel half but it wasn't a separate entity all together, like it had been. That meant that Rei was useless to the scenario, and…a part of her was overjoyed.

They also said they were going to destroy SEELE, so that they could avert Third Impact. Did that mean they knew about the scenario, and about the Dead Sea Scrolls? They had to, otherwise the boy called Kaworu wouldn't have made that comment about Instrumentality. Shinji and his friend were trying to stop the end of the world, despite how hopeless the situation seemed.

And…Shinji had asked if all of the angels were related genetically. He asked, presumably, because he was romantically interested in one of the angels and it was considered taboo and disgusting to be in a romantic and sexual relationship with someone related to you by blood. He hadn't seemed…put out or disappointed when Kaworu told him that, though the regular angels were not genetically related, they loved no one person over another, which alluded to the idea that Shinji was interested in another Nephilim, namely…her.

Rei blushed a little as she realized that. She'd felt…odd since that event with Shinji in her apartment, as if she was two people slowing combining into one. Feelings and memories she didn't remember experiencing before were showing up in her life, but they felt foreign and separate, like they didn't belong. At the same time, they felt like it was natural for them to be there, and some of them weren't all that unwelcome.

Shinji…he treated her as though she were special. As though she had a purpose beyond piloting EVA and being part of the Commander's Instrumentality plot. He treated her nicely because he wanted to, and because he cared about _her_ and not her predetermined purpose. He made her feel as though she was important just because she was herself, and not because she had some great, preset destiny. He made her feel warm inside.

This event she witnessed, she knew, and the fact that she witnessed it was a turning point for her. She could continue to follow the path Commander Ikari had set up for her, or she could help Shinji achieve his goals and avert Third Impact. She could follow a man set on the destruction of the human race, or she could follow the boy determined to save it.

Rei bit her lip in an uncharacteristic display of confusion and hesitation. This was a choice that would affect not only the rest of her life, but the future of the human race. If she made the wrong decision, the whole world would suffer the consequences of her poor choice.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"Up on the roof, all by his lonesome, the picture of the tragic hero!" Shinji turned around from his spot leaning on the railing to see Touji and Kensuke standing a yard or so behind him, the latter's hand up in a motionless wave. Touji stood with his arms crossed angrily, a glare on his face.

Shinji sighed, "Oh, you guys again. What do you want?"

Touji's eyebrow twitched angrily, "Moron! What makes you think we'd want anything from _you_?!"

"Oh," Shinji said, looking at Touji a little weirdly. "Okay, then. You must be really bored to check up on me for no reason."

Touji's fists clenched in anger, and he said, "I may not have a reason to be talking to you…"

Touji moved closer, jabbing his index finger close to Shinji's face, "But one thing's for sure! I hate your guts! That hot-crap attitude of yours! That 'Mister Innocent' look on your mug!"

Shinji sighed again, leaning back against the railing, "So you just came to pick a fight with me."

"Okay, then," Shinji shrugged. "If you don't like my attitude, then I'll apologize, but it's _over_ after that. I can't be bothered by thoughts of what you'll do with every action I take."

Shinji turned to leave when Touji yelled out, "Hey! You can't just walk away from me!"

Shinji turned, sighing a third time, "You want to punch me again? Fine. If it'll get the desire out of your system, I'll _let_ you hit me this time."

"FINE!" Touji yelled, a vein throbbing on his forehead. "But remember! You asked for it!"

He picked Shinji up by his collar, cocking his fist, "Don't go crying to anybody afterwards!"

Behind the staircase's little building, Rei made up her mind as her cell-phone alerted her of an emergency. After receiving the message, she shut the small device off and stood, coming out to the sight of Touji about to punch Shinji. Striding forward quickly, she interrupted them with a quiet but audible, "Ikari."

The three boys froze and Shinji turned his head, looking at her questioningly. She answered diligently, saying, "We just received an emergency call. I'll see you there."

Pausing only to look Shinji in the eye for a minute, she blushed and turned around, muttering an embarrassed, "Bye."

Shinji blinked, then wrenched himself free of Touji's grip, rushing after her.

"Wait a minute, Rei!" he called after her, running to catch up. "I'm coming too!"

Kensuke straightened his glasses, "I think he managed to slip out of that one."

Touji huffed angrily, "Bite me!"

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"_A state of emergency has been declared for the entire central Kanto area, centering around the Tokai region. Please proceed to your designated shelters immediately. Repeat…All residents please proceed to your designated shelters."_

A screen flickered to life in NERV headquarters, showing a large, pinkish creature moving along the surface of the water of the ocean.

"_Visual confirmation! Target has now entered controlled airspace!"_

"All personnel," Misato barked, "prepare for level one combat!"

"_Tokyo-3 now transforming to battle configuration! Armament buildings and air intercept systems currently at forty-eight percent deployment."_

"Shinji!" Misato called. "Are you ready?"

"_I'm ready, Misato,"_ Shinji's voice said over the intercom.

"What timing," Misato sighed. "So an angel attacks while the Commander's away. This is sooner than we expected."

As the angel flipped out of the ocean and onto land, hovering over the buildings and other objects, missile pods opened up within the hills. They launched missiles at the centipede like beast, which seemed to have no effect on creature.

Fuyutsuki sighed, "What a waste of taxpayers' money."

"Captain Katsuragi!" one of the bridge crew members shouted, a phone in his hand. "The committee is demanding the immediate dispatch of the EVA!"

"I wish they'd get off of my case," Misato grumbled, folding her arms moodily. "I was about to do that anyway."

"They just like to think they're in control," Ritsuko said, her arms folded leisurely. "If they're not in control, they feel powerless, and that really bothers them."

_**Underground Shelter Number Three-hundred Thirty-four**_

"They're doing it again," Kensuke sighed, looking at the screen of his camera.

Touji glanced over at him, a bored expression on his face, "Doing what again?"

"_This_!" Kensuke shoved the camera in front of Touji's face, forcing him to read the message displayed on the screen.

**At noon today, a state of emergency was declared for the Kanto district, centering around the Tokai region. Stay tuned for updates.**

"All words again," Kensuke sighed in frustration. "They never show us civilians anything…and this is such a _big_ event!"

Touji looked at him weirdly, "You really get off on this stuff, don't you?"

"Man! I just got to see it! Just _once_!" Kensuke griped, a crestfallen look on his face. "We may never get another chance like this! _Ever_!"

Kensuke fell silent for a minute as an idea popped into his head, "…Touji…"

"What?" Touji looked over at the other boy.

"Let's sneak out."

"Are you _nuts_?!" Touji hissed loudly. "We'll be killed, dumbass!"

"I know," Kensuke said calmly, "but don't you have an obligation to watch this fight?"

Touji looked at him oddly, then Kensuke elaborated, "That robot saved us from that angel thing, and yet you tried to punch him. Don't you owe him for that?"

Kensuke smirked as the first traces of guilt swept across Touji's face.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"You understand, Shinji?" Ritsuko asked. "Do you understand your orders?"

There was a pause, then Shinji's voice crackled over the intercom, "Yes, ma'am."

"EVA 01!" Misato shouted, watching as the elevator came to life. "Launch!"

No more than a second later, the giant purple machine shot upward towards the surface, popping up out of one of the hatches that hid the elevator. From the hills, Touji and Kensuke watched as it appeared from within the ground.

As the angel came into view, Shinji grabbed the gun that had been supplied for him, aiming carefully at the target. He knew his orders and would follow them, but he had other plans too. Without any hesitation, he fired, pulling the trigger of the rifle.

"_Idiot!"_ Misato cried as smoke obscured the angel from view. _"It's impossible to see it through that smog!"_

As the smoke started to lift, two whips made of energy flew from the cloud, cutting the gun in half as Shinji dodged out of the way. Clumsily, he fell back on his butt, then stood again, ready to go, the EVA's huge form defiant and menacing.

"_I'm sending up a spare rifle!" _Misato shouted. _"Grab it, Shinji!"_

Seconds later, a panel on one of the buildings opened up, revealing the spare rifle Misato had been talking about. Before Shinji could even _think_ of grabbing it, an energy whip struck out and snapped it clean in half, leaving Shinji with very few weapons and nearly as few options. He needed a strategy, and there was something he wanted to test.

While he was thinking, the angel took advantage of his distraction, lashing out again. Stumbling backwards in a dodge, Shinji was unable to prevent the angel's whips from slashing the umbilical cord that left him with power and from tripping him and forcing him to fall on top of a building. He sat as the synchronization backlash left him with a pain in his ankles, butt, and back.

"_EVA has switched over to internal power!"_

Taking advantage at Shinji's inactivity, the angel wrapped one of its whip-like cords around the EVA's ankle, flicking him upward and tossing him a good distance away. It tossed him so far, that he did, in fact, land on one of the outlying hills outside of Tokyo-3.

As Shinji held his head, trying to get over the pain of being bodily thrown in such a way, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye that he _really_ should have remembered. Touji and Kensuke were huddled between two of the EVA's fingers that had impacted with the hillside. They looked up at the robot fearfully. Shinji bit his lip. He didn't have a choice.

"_Unit 01's active time remaining is three minutes!"_

Instantly, the Angel was upon him again, lashing out with its whip-like energy cords. Knowing his choices and his chances, Shinji reached out and grabbed them, a burning sensation running up his hands as the EVA's finger armor began to melt.

"_Shinji, fall back for now!"_ Misato cried.

Tactical data running through his head, Shinji jerked on a control and the EVA's dorsal hatch clacked open. The entry plug pulled out swiftly, revealing it to the world. The reactions to this course of action were instant.

"_Shinji!" _Misato shouted angrily. _"What do you think you're doing?!"_

"Come on, you two!" Shinji yelled down at the stunned boys, ignoring Misato. "Get in!"

"_EVA Unit 01 active time remaining is two minutes!"_

Obediently, Kensuke and Touji climbed into the entry plug, gagging on the LCL. Kensuke mourned the loss of his camera as the liquid quickly damaged it beyond repair. The dorsal hatch slid back into place, giving Shinji the green light for action.

Aggressively, as the timer for his combat time remaining crept down from one minute, he stuck the EVA's foot out, pulling on the whip-like cords. With a mighty heave, ignoring Misato's angry yells and Touji's growling, he kicked his enemy away violently. Slowly, as the timer dropped even lower, the EVA stood again, the extra passengers making its actions sluggish.

"_Now!" _Misato shouted, his time limit nearing the point of no return. _"Fall back!"_

Tactical data ran through Shinji's head as he plotted and planned, predicting the outcome of every action he could take. Sighing, he told her, "I'm sorry, Misato, but I'm going to have to pull something drastic here. I don't have enough time to retreat before I run out of power."

"_What?!"_ Misato yelled vehemently. _"Shinji, you —!"_

With a flick of his wrist, Shinji shut off the intercom and the entry plug fell silent. Shinji sighed again as the lighting failed too, plunging the three occupants into pitch blackness. He ignored the panicked ranting of his companions, putting his full concentration into the desperate tactic he had yet to try. Everything hinged on its success.

Instantly, the entry plug was lit again and the intercom crackled to life as the results of Shinji's experiment reached the Geofront. Shinji nearly smiled as the words filtered into the LCL and to his ears.

"_Pattern blue detected! It's another angel! It's…Unit 01! Sync ratio at…ninety-nine point nine percent."_

"_What?!"_ Gendo's voice called. Shinji smirked. This was most _certainly_ not a part of his father's precious scenario.

As Kensuke blinked in wonderment and fretted over the innovations of the entry plug, Touji noticed something that he had not seen before lights went out. There was a large rip in the back of Shinji's plugsuit, right over his right shoulder blade. Protruding from that rip was a large, black-feathered wing, folded almost protectively around Shinji's right shoulder and biceps. A single wing, and Touji found it odd.

"_Shinji…"_ Misato's voice came back, uncertainty floating within it. _"What…?"_

"Don't worry, Misato," Shinji said, glad he'd stopped the video feed. "This is just my ace in the hole."

As the Angel stood, Unit 01 grasped at air, a sword of flame appearing in its palm once more. There was a pause where the two opponents seemed to be sizing the odds up, then, with a war cry from Shinji, both charge at one another, weapons brandished.

As the angel's whips lashed out, Shinji jumped over them, somersaulting into a kneel, thrusting his sword out. Time seemed to stand still for a moment, then the energy in the whip-like cords died as the angel ceased to function, its core impaled upon a fire-sword.

Shinji leaned back in his seat and sighed as the power died once more, his wing disappearing back into his flesh. All that remained as evidence of its presence was a rip in his spandex suit. He rubbed his temples. The headache wasn't as bad as it had been the first time, but it was there.

Touji rested a hand on his shoulder and Shinji looked at him, hearing the words, "Dude, are you alright?"

Smiling, Shinji nodded.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Next time…

_Shinji has come back from a desolate future to save all that he loves, and he's already made multiple changes to the original timeline. Somethings seem to want to stay the same, and that doesn't bother Shinji too much. He's being subtle for the time being, but he can easily abandon the timeline for a more…forceful approach. He has the power to do that._

_He's made contact with Rei far sooner than he did originally, and, though she doesn't seem to respond to it too much, he knows he's making progress much faster than last time. If he has his way, he'll have her away from his father in no time flat._

_The Fifth Angel is up next, and then Asuka will come into the picture. If Shinji has his way, he won't have to worry about the German girl at all, this time. If all goes as he plans, Rei will be the other pilot rooming with Misato, not Asuka._

_Next chapter, "Nephilim Partners."_

_Which side will Rei choose in this silent conflict between the ideals of the father, and the ideals of the son?_

— **o.0.O.O.0.o — **

**A/N July 18: I've made a few changes, including Shinji's angel name and type.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gundam Wing, or Fallen (which is where most of Shinji's Angel powers come from). Or Final Fantasy VII, from where Shinji will be getting a few extra powers, though nothing too Gary Stu.**

**This one was inspired by another story (I can't remember what it's called or even if it's still posted on FFNet) where Shinji got an S2 organ, just like the one Rei supposedly has. Also true to that story, Shinji's S2 organ has replaced his appendix, but most the rest is my idea. **

**Did anyone catch the Final Fantasy reference during Shinji's talk with Kaworu? "drop a meteor"? **

_**Ne me mori facias!**_**  
James Daniel Fawkes  
**_**James Daniel Fawkes**_**(Signature best viewed in **_**Wendy Medium**_** font style)**


	2. Nephilim Partners

_At first, I must confess, I didn't really have any idea what I was doing. I mean, I knew what I had to do, but I didn't really know how to go about doing it. Honestly, who does? It's not everyday you go back in the past and allowed to change horrible events._

_I guess I thought that if I just killed SEELE and Gendo, I could put everything right. I'd play the good little boy and pilot the Evangelion, then kill my father when he least expected it. I thought that that would be the end of it. I thought going back in time would leave me with one or two tasks. I thought going back in time would be the end of things. That everything would be easy._

_I was stupid. As it turns out…my trip back in time…was only the beginning…_

**One Wingéd Angel**

**By:** James D. Fawkes

**A/N: Hey, Minna-san! Here's chapter two of One Wingéd Angel! I hope you enjoy this! I've slaved over it for the past week, typing away, editing, and deleting until I was satisfied.  
Chapter Two: Nephilim Partners  
— o.0.O.O.0.o — **

Grease hissed within a metallic skillet, pancakes having just been flipped a second ago. A skilled hand traveled from the skillet's black handle to another, this one sizzling with a rare food amongst the Japanese lifestyle: Bacon. A fork came down and carefully stabbed each piece one at a time, slowly flipping them over before disappearing.

As the hand traveled again, a second joined it, a whisk in its grasp. The first hand grabbed another black handle, the whisk being used to stir the vegetable contents within. The whisk retreated, and the first hand went back to the skillet with the pancakes, flipping them a second time. A timer dinged and the hand retreated, leaving all four cooking utensils alone to simmer.

Humming 'Angels We Have Heard on High' quietly, Shinji moved backward and opened the oven, pulling out a tray with delicious looking fish. It was a new, American recipe he'd come across, and this was his first time trying it.

"Angels we have heard on high," he sang, a grin on his face. Snowy white hair flopped over his skull, hanging around and in front of his face, "sweetly singing o'er the plains. And the mountains in reply, echoing their joyful strains."

Humming the next part, Shinji flipped the pancakes out of the skillet and onto a large plate, then set them down on the table. He quickly did the same with the bacon, half of which was a meat substitute.

He smiled brightly as a girl walked into the room from her room, offering a polite, "Good morning, Rei," to her.

Smiling her beautiful smile in greeting, Rei sat down and quietly ate breakfast as Shinji continued to cook lunch. Misato lumbered in ten minutes later and slouched at the table, grumbling as she slowly ate her breakfast. She immediately perked up after a beer had slithered down her throat, sighing happily.

Shinji smiled as he sat down for breakfast himself, happy for things to be so normal at the Katsuragi apartment. He dreaded the return to the horror that had plagued him before, and the loneliness that had pierced his soul. Shuddering almost unnoticeably, Shinji once again thanked his friend for the gift he had received.

Shinji glanced over at the quiet Rei, smiling slightly. It had been two days since she had moved in, and nearly as long since they'd taken that look at the remains of Shamshel. Were he a true angel, Shinji might have apologized to the angel for killing him. As it was, he wasn't a true angel, and the only true angel Shinji had any emotional investment in was Kaworu. His regret of Shamshel's demise was only minimal.

Shinji smirked lightly as he ate his breakfast quietly. Ritsuko had been surprised when she had stayed for dinner the previous night. She'd not been expecting to see Rei sitting at the dinner table with them as Shinji served the girl his special stir fry, giving the women some particularly good looking fish.

"So, Misato," Shinji started. Misato looked up from her food, a pancake hanging limply from her mouth, "I heard you talking on the phone last night. I didn't know you speak German."

Shoveling the pancake into her mouth, Misato swallowed and downed half her can of beer, sighing happily, "Oh, yeah. Well, I had to baby sit the Second Child a while back for about a year and a half. I picked it up then."

"Oh?" Shinji ate a piece of bacon. The 'gift of tongues', an ability all angels had, had translated the entire conversation for him. "Then what was that all about last night?"

Misato took another sip of her beer, "They're shipping Unit 02 and the Second Child here. It'll arrive about six weeks from now."

"Really?" Shinji quickly hid his distaste. "That means we'll have another Unit to help against the angels."

"The Eva may be of some use," Rei said quietly, her jumbled and fragmented memories providing her with an image of an irate Asuka Langely Sohryu, "but that does not guarantee that the pilot will be satisfactory."

"Don't be too sure of that," Misato waggled her finger teasingly. "She's a real firecracker, so you never know what to expect from her, but she's been training for Eva since she was just a little girl. Until Shinji came along, she held the high score when it came to sync ratios."

"Does that not imply, then," Rei countered quietly, "that Shinji is the better pilot, despite his lack of training?"

Misato blinked, then looked at Shinji, "Have you been teaching her 'debate'?"

Shinji laughed nervously, "Um, well, I thought it would be a good skill for her to have."

Misato grinned slyly, "What else have you been teaching her? How to give a blo—?"

Shinji's hand clapped down over Misato's mouth, a blush rising to his cheeks. He glanced over at Rei, whose cheeks also held a pink tinge, and concluded that she had understood what Misato had been about to ask as well. He forced his best glare at his guardian, but his flushed appearance offset any menacing properties of his eyes.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Shinji took in the face of the giant purple robot, looking into the glowing white eyes hidden within recessions in the armor. The beast's stoic gaze would seem malicious to most others, but Shinji wasn't afraid of the creature in front of him.

"You poor bastard," he told it pityingly, "trapped within a shell of metal and other alloys with no name and no sense of self. All you know is that you exist. Truly a pitiful existence."

He could have sworn that the eyes flashed brighter, but ignored it, "I think it's time you received something in return for all of the help you've given us. I can't free you from your prison, so…how about a name?"

He had to strain his ears to hear the low growl that answered, but he smirked nonetheless, "Yes, a name. One befitting of such a monstrous and powerful being. I'll call you…Seraphiel."

This time, he could clearly hear a growl of satisfaction, though it was only loud enough for him to hear. All of the sudden, the beast's glowing white eyes were focused on him, as if it somehow understood just how powerful that name was. His smirk widened a bit, "Yes, Seraphiel, the greatest, largest, and most powerful of God's angels, matched in power only by Lucifer and the Creator himself."

Shinji chuckled lightly, "I have great plans for you, Seraphiel, plans that will make Father's Scenario seem like a cliché prank amongst five-year-olds. If we can pull this off…you'll ascend into the pages of history as the most powerful being on the planet."

He walked along the railed platform, catching a glimpse of flesh beneath the heavy armor plates. His lips twitched, "You're amazing. Your body is so malleable that, so long as one such as I is in control, your form can be anything at all. No wonder Zero's integration into your systems was so smooth. Hmm, this should make things much easier."

Shinji sighed, sitting down and leaning against the railing. He chuckled mirthlessly, "'General Shinji', huh? I guess Kaworu was right. Sometimes…" haunted red eyes looked out at the room, "I really can be…just like my father."

He looked back up at Unit 01's solemn, motionless form, "What do you think, Mother? Am I doing the right thing?"

Shinji looked out at the otherwise empty chamber, suddenly seeming thrice his age, "Or am I doomed to follow the same path as Father?"

Silence reigned for several minutes, the only sound the slight rush of air as it left Shinji's lungs, then Shinji chuckled mirthlessly again, "That's right, huh? I really shouldn't have expected an answer from you, but I honestly thought you'd be able to hear me."

He sighed, "Seraphiel, this next battle will leave you severely injured, but you'll survive it. You'll survive everything thrown your way. That's how you are, because you…are the greatest Evangelion, no matter _what_ Asuka says on the matter."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Rei jumped back, panting heavily from the physical stress her muscles had endured. Her red eyes were sharp and focused, no motion in front of her escaping her notice. Sweat dripped down her face and brow, her hair matted and glued to her cheeks by the moisture. Her mouth hung open as she desperately fought for oxygen, her cheeks slightly flushed.

With a sharp grunt, she jumped again, out of the path of her opponent's weapon. She watched, quite clearly aware of the danger, as the weapon sunk into the marble floor, melting the hard rock around it. The sword was pulled up from the ground, leaving behind a strange, almost _liquid_ crater behind.

Rei gripped the bare nondescript handle of her own sword, lifting the blade's flaming metal in front of her. She held it in a shaky guard, fully aware that she was an amateur at this method of fighting. That was the reason she had taken up this training to begin with.

Rei strengthened her resolve, raising her sword up at speeds her arms protested to and blocking the fiery metal of her opponent's blade. With a grunt of exertion, she pushed back against her opponent's sword, realizing, for the first time, just how much strength his deceivingly lean muscles held. She nearly fell when the muscles in her knee twitched, threatening to bring her down in a heap.

Shoving the other's blade to the side, Rei did a barrel roll to her left, standing weakly as she stopped. Gentle red eyes met Rei's own as their owner readied his sword again, taking up an almost professional stance. Gaze flickering, Rei noticed that his sword was longer than hers was, resembling a katana in length while hers wasn't much bigger than a wakizashi.

"You're getting better, Rei," he told her, a speck of pride in his voice. "When we started, you couldn't get more than a tiny little pocketknife. Now, you've got a sword of respectable size and are capable of using it."

Rei felt a smirk tug at her lips before she could stop it, "I have a very good teacher, Shinji."

Ever since Rei had relived the memory of how easily the Commander had overtaken her and tried to initiate Third Impact, she'd insisted on learning to use more of her angelic powers than just the AT field. Initially surprised, Shinji had agreed to teach her how to use Angel-fire, the white-hot flames that he could summon on command.

Unfortunately, Rei had proved unable to call upon the fire as easily as Shinji could, so he'd begun teaching her to access it subconsciously. This way, she wouldn't need to concentrate for minutes of a time just to summon a small bit of it. The only way Shinji knew of to do this quickly enough to show the results she was looking for was by steadily forcing her to call upon it instinctually during battle.

So, he'd grabbed her hand and nearly dragged her to this abandoned warehouse, and started teaching her from there. At first, she'd only managed a small dagger, nothing to be too proud of, but she'd steadily gotten better. He could sense the disappointment in her gaze, as she no doubt realized just how far she was behind him.

Gripping the handle of his sword, he swung again, watching as she blocked with a finesse that an ordinary observer would call professional. Then, for the first time, she swung back, seemingly intent on taking his head off. He blocked, blinking in surprise at the amount of power behind the slash.

Shoving her sword away with his own, he settled back into a ready stance, blade held in front of himself. She was learning at an amazing pace, one that many would be hard pressed to match. Were he watching, Touji would simply be gawking at the azure-haired beauty. That she was improving at such a swift rate only proved just how capable she was of helping his scenario.

Up on one of the railed walkways, a translucent figure smiled, his crimson eyes dancing with satisfaction.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Shinji stared up at the pale, azure-haired beauty amongst the girls of his class, watching her with a small smile on his face. While the other girls bustled around, talking and drying off from swimming, Rei merely sat against the fence, her face expressionless.

"You're amazing, Rei," Shinji whispered, red eyes locked on her form. "Despite all of the changes you've gone through recently, no one realizes how different you are now. It's as if you're the same person you were before we met."

"Hey, Ikari!" Touji and Kensuke walked up behind Shinji, who was too busy watching his love interest to notice them. Touji knelt down beside his friend and followed Shinji's gaze, "What're you looking at? I never figured our Ace for a _pervert_. And this is from the guy who acts like he don't care 'bout nothing!"

Touji aimed his finger, trying to pinpoint the object of Shinji's attention, "Who're you looking at? Horaki? Oh! Ayanami! You sure go for the sullen ones!"

Rei turned her head in that instance, locking eyes with Shinji. She smiled slightly, more of a small quirk of the lips to most normal people, but it was indeed a smile to Shinji, then turned back around. She'd paused long enough, though, because Shinji hadn't been the only one to see the expression on her face.

"Dude," Kensuke whispered in disbelief, eyes wide as saucers, "no way!"

"Did she just…" Touji paused, as if searching for the right word, "…_smile_ at you?"

"Huh?" Shinji wasn't honestly surprised by her behavior, so it wasn't out of the ordinary to him. That, and he hadn't been paying that much attention to the two of them and their comments. "Why wouldn't she?"

"Why wouldn't she?" Kensuke echoed incredulously. "She's Ayanami! She _never_ smiles!"

"Well, I don't know about you guys," Shinji told them matter-of-factly, "but I would certainly hope she would smile for her _boyfriend_."

"_Boyfriend_?" asked Touji, staring at Shinji as if he'd grown a second head. "_You_ scored _Ayanami_? The most frigid girl in our class?"

"When you put it that way," Shinji shrugged, "yeah, I guess I did."

"Dude," they both bowed down, as if worshipping him as some deity, "you—are—a—God!"

Shinji grinned and shook his head, chuckling lightly. Kensuke and Touji would never change, despite just how different he himself was. It was refreshing and comforting to know he could count on some things staying a certain way.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Shinji walked next to Rei as they headed towards the large, pyramid like building a scant 200 yards in front of them. Today was the day, they both knew, that many things would happen, and that many risks would be taken for the sake of furthering their own scenario. One slip up could ruin everything.

"Are you ready, Rei?" Shinji asked her, his tone serious. He wouldn't let her take those risks unless she was ready.

A small smile crossed Rei's lips, "I am as ready as I can be, Shinji. Together, we will defeat brother Ramiel."

"I have no doubt in your conviction, Rei," Shinji said, smiling back at her. "But are you ready for the other things we must face today?"

She shot him a questioning look.

"Are you ready for your reactivation test?" he clarified. "It's today, you know. Are you scared of what may happen?"

They walked in silence for a minute as Nerv's building came closer. She seemed to be pondering his question, as if weighing the chances over and over in her mind. The memory of her accident was too recent for her to decide immediately, and so many things could go wrong. She was so much different than before.

Finally, as they were about to pass through the doors, she smiled at him and said, "I am not afraid, Shinji-kun, because I know that, no matter what happens, you will be there to catch me if I fall. You are the only thing in this world that I have faith in."

Heart warmed beyond conventional measure, Shinji smiled back and followed her as she walked through the doors and into Nerv's main base of operations within the Geofront.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Unit 00 stood within the white room, alone on its feet, it's orange armor gleaming in the bright light. It's single eye was dull, its power offline. Its armored arms hung by its sides, limp and lifeless as the beast they belonged to. The entire room was silent, but for the nearly inaudible buzz of the luminescent lights on the ceiling.

Metal clamps held the creature's shoulders in place, hopefully strong enough to immobilize it if it went berserk, as it had before. Unfortunately, everyone in Nerv knew that those simple metal clamps would crumble under the might of the Evangelion, no matter what they reinforced them with.

Up in the command center, at least a dozen hands flew over keyboards, fingers typing out different commands and activating multiple programs. Three adults stood, watching and supervising the people typing in those commands. One was a woman, her hair dyed blonde and a lab coat on her body. Another was an elder man, dressed in what looked to be a military uniform.

The third figure brought his finger up and pushed the dark frame of his orange-tinted glasses further up his nose, his gaze stoic and immovable, as though it were chiseled onto the face of a statue. A frown was permanently etched above his bearded chin, and his dark eyes seemed to absorb all the light around them.

A fourth person stood farther back, a young, teenage boy with unruly white hair and red eyes, staring out at the hulking form of Unit 00. His hands clenched and unclenched nervously, as though he were expecting something bad to happen.

Shinji resisted the urge to bite his lip nervously, knowing that the likelihood of something going wrong was only about fifteen percent. It was natural, he knew, to be worried about those you cared about when they were in a potentially dangerous situation.

He had to have faith. He had to have faith, ironically, in his father's work. He had to trust that his old man knew what he was doing when he repaired and fixed Unit 00, or else the worry would tear his insides apart. That wouldn't do anyone any good.

Calming himself, Shinji opened the link of Commonality, the mental link that connected himself to Rei. It was the same method the angels used to learn from each other's battles, and it was quite an effective method. For Shinji and Rei, it wasn't permanent since a portion of their DNA was human, but they could create a telepathic link with any other angelic being they chose. It was this link of Commonality that Gendo had tried to suppress in Rei, to ensure that Lilith couldn't make contact with the girl, by using a special medication.

Tentatively, Shinji prodded Rei's mind through the link, hoping to catch her attention. His answer came in the form of a quiet, _"Shinji-kun?"_

"_Rei-chan,"_ he hesitated, still nervous about the whole affair. There were so many things that could go _wrong_. _"Are you sure about this? I can handle Ramiel by myself, you know."_

Rei gave him the mental equivalent of a loving smile, _"Of course, Shinji-kun. Do not worry for my safety. I will be fine."_

"We will now commence the reactivation test for Unit 00," Ritsuko's voice dropped into the telepathic conversation, forcing the link of Commonality to break as Shinji lost the concentration to maintain it.

"Rei," Commander Ikari spoke, his face never changing, "are you ready?"

"Yes, sir," Rei's voice came over the intercom, calm and emotionless.

Gendo adjusted his glasses again, "Initiate primary contact."

"Main power contact," Ritsuko said.

"Operational voltage critical point, cleared!" Maya Ibuki announced, sitting at her terminal.

"Shift format to phase two," Ritsuko commanded. "Begin linking pilot to Unit 00."

"Pulse and harmonics normal," Maya said. "Synch is green. All nerve links connected."

Her eyes scanned over the terminal in front of her, "No abnormalities in the CNS. List items one through two-five-nine-zero have been cleared. Two point five until absolute borderline."

Shinji bit his lip, praying to whatever deity existed that Rei would make it out of this unscathed. His fingers clenched tightly into a fist as his brow crinkled with worry.

"One point seven."

"One point two."

"One point zero."

"Zero point eight."

"Zero point six."

"Zero point four."

"Zero point three."

"Zero point two. Zero point one…"

A bead of sweat rolled down Shinji's cheek.

"Borderline cleared!" Maya shouted. "Unit 00 has been activated. Now commencing linkage test."

Fuyutsuki slammed the phone back on the receiver, his face grim as he turned to Gendo, "Ikari! An unidentified flying object is heading this way. It's most likely an angel."

There was a pregnant pause, in which Gendo seemed to take the information into consideration. Then, "Abort the test! All personnel, go to level one yellow alert!"

"Can we use Unit 00?" Fuyutsuki asked.

"It's not battle ready yet," Gendo told him. "What about Unit 01?"

"We can have it up in three-hundred-eighty seconds," Ritsuko told him.

"Good," came the reply. "Scramble it."

A cell-phone rang all of the sudden, and all eyes turned to Shinji, who pulled the device out of his pocket and turned it on. Putting it up to his ear, he said, "Moshi moshi. Ikari Shinji desu ga…" (Hello. This is Ikari Shinji.)

The person on the other line said something, and Shinji's expression turned serious, "Aa. Soudesu. Owarimasenka? Soshite, nanji de tsukumasuka?" (Yes. I see. Are you/Is it finished? And when will it arrive?)

The other person spoke again and Shinji looked at his watch, "Nijuuji desuka? Nijuuji wa chotto…Nijuuichiji wa doudesuka?" (Eight o'clock p.m.? Eight o'clock p.m. is bad…How about nine o'clock p.m.?)

The person responded, and Shinji nodded. "Iidesu. Arigato gozaimasu. Sayonara." (That's good. Thank you very much. Good bye)

Shinji put the phone away and looked up to see the entire room staring at him, "What?"

Gendo glared, "Get going!"

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

The blue, diamond shaped angel hovered, slowly making its way towards downtown Tokyo-3. It cast a menacing shadow over the city, forcing the few people still outside into shelters, trying desperately to escape certain doom. And they had right to be scared, for this fearsome beast resembled more of a flying fortress than a simple UFO.

"_The target is now above Lake Ashino!"_

Miles and miles beneath the earth, a giant purple robot was loaded onto a catapult that would launch it to the surface to face the monster floating in the air. Mechanisms clicked into place as the catapult set it at one of the many gates, preparing the rush him up the chute that seemed to just _barely_ fit the massive machine.

"_Evangelion Unit 01 is ready for takeoff!"_

"Eva Unit 01!" Misato shouted. "Launch!"

Sparks flew all over the place as the catapult shot up the chute, taking the enormous Evangelion with it. Up on the surface, however, well aware of its enemy's approach, Ramiel charged up a powerful attack that would incinerate lesser beings in an instant.

"I'm getting a high energy reading within the target!"

"_What?!_" Misato shouted, eyeing the tech that spoke with a mixture of surprise, anger, and terror.

"It's accelerating on its periphery! It's starting to converge!"

"Can't be…" Misato whispered in horror, "a _particle beam_?!"

At that time, Unit 01 reached the surface, still locked to the launch pad, its gleaming white eyes menacing. Inside, Shinji prepared himself for what he knew was to happen, gripping the control yokes anxiously. He waited for the appropriate moment, knowing that he was dancing with death.

"_No!"_ Misato's voice came over the intercom. _"Shinji! Get out of the way!"_

Shinji had only a moment to spread the Eva's arms out and deploy its AT field, as a large blast of pure energy tore through the building in front of him, melting it down. It crashed into the phase-shift space of Seraphiel's field with a loud bang, pushing on it with incredible force.

Shinji, his Eva still trapped in the catapult's launch pad, winced as the beam started to push his AT field back, a foot or two at a time. Grunting, he tapped the power of his own S2 core, hoping to reinforce his failing defense. It seemed to work, if only slightly, as the beam suddenly stopped moving forward.

"_Unit 01 has become blue-pattern again!"_ Shinji grimaced as the results of his struggle played into his ears over the intercom, a single wing sprouting from his back. Unfortunately, even as much power as he was expending, the beam started to inch closer to him again, and showed no sign of letting up.

"_Damn it!"_ Shinji swore mentally, growling as he tapped once more into his S2 core, overlapping the Eva's AT Field with his own. He twitched as a second wing ripped from his flesh and tore a second hole identical to the first in the back of his plug-suit, its white feathers stained with red and orange.

Shinji pushed with his AT Field, hoping to at least deflect the blast off in another direction. He was disappointed, however, when his AT Field could not be maneuvered in a manor that would force the beam to some other target. The pressure was too equalized and centered to be moved in such a way.

Seconds before he faced the pain of his enemy, Shinji screamed out his frustrations, "Aaaaah! Damn-it!"

Finally, his AT field could take no more of the attack and collapsed, allowing the particle beam to collide painfully with Unit 01's chest and vaporizing several layers of the armor. Ramiel's attack struck true, causing severe damage to its target, and no obstacle could deter it from its path.

Shinji screamed in agony as the pain hit him, not just the sympathetic pain caused by his synchronization with the Eva, but the scorching heat as the LCL within the entry plug started boil. Within the command center of Nerv, Rei collapsed to her knees, tears streaming from her eyes as she held her hands over her ears and bit her bottom lip.

"Shinji!" Misato cried fearfully. She turned to the nearest computer tech, screaming at the top of her lungs, "Get him back! Hurry!"

Immediately, the launch pad sank into the elevator chute again, heavily damaged but still in one piece.

"Target has gone inactive!" someone shouted.

"How's Shinji?!" Misato asked fervently, ignoring the previous statement.

"EEG abnormal! Pulse faint!"

"Unit 01 to cage number seven for retrieval!" Maya shouted.

"I'm going to the cage!" Misato yelled, already on her way out the door. "Ritsuko! Get the medic team—stat!"

"Got it!" Ritsuko replied.

"Pilot brains waves erratic! Pulse faint! Correction—pulse has stopped!"

"Set life support system to maximum! Commence CPR!" Ritsuko commanded.

"Yes, ma'am!"

Nothing happened.

"Again!"

Shinji's body jumped in his seat.

"Pulse confirmed!"

"Hurry!" Ritsuko told Maya. "Force-eject the entry-plug! Emergency LCL flush!"

"Yes, ma'am!" came the response.

Amidst all the commotion, no one noticed Rei sobbing quietly in the corner, just outside the command center's door.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Hovering over the city of Tokyo-3, Ramiel took advantage of the silence he'd been rewarded with. Taking out that abomination that had come to the surface had felt good, as if he was serving divine justice on a heretic. Now, with it out of the way, Ramiel was free to do as he pleased, and no one and nothing could stop him.

Moving into position, Ramiel stopped right above the place where he sensed the disturbance, the one he and his brothers had come to look for. With but the mere exertion of his will, he dropped a drill from the bottom of his form, pushing the head through the concrete and the thick metal and dirt that lay beneath it.

It would take a while, but Ramiel knew he had time to spare. There were no other annoyances to take time out of his day, so he could drill away until he reached his target and did with it what he willed. So long as the Light of his Soul burned brightly, none could damage him, and any that tried would be struck down by the hammer of his particle beam.

Were Ramiel more humanoid in his mental capacities, he probably would have giggled gleefully, or chuckled darkly or maniacally at the smoothness of the success of his plans, but such things were for humans only. Regardless, his plans were going off without a hitch, and the only one who could have stopped him was already beaten.

Within the command center miles beneath him, Ritsuko and the tech team noticed his assault. Ritsuko was confused, "What's the enemy started doing, now?"

"It's drilling a hole into the Geofront— towards Nerv Headquarters!" the computer tech in front of her answered.

"It's trying a direct attack against us?" Ritsuko asked incredulously.

A beam streaked across the sky as a giant balloon shaped like Unit 01 was destroyed the instant it had gotten within range. A human would have chuckled derisively at such a feeble attempt, but Ramiel merely went back to drilling.

"Dummy vaporized!!"

"Next."

A tank like object came out of a tunnel and fired a beam of energy at Ramiel, but it was deflected off of a force field made of red octagonal ripples. An instant later, a retaliatory beam shot out from Ramiel, blowing the tank like object into billions of tiny atoms.

"Type-12 self-propelled mortar destroyed!"

"According to the data collected thus far," on of the bridge bunnies said, "it seems that the target automatically eliminates enemies coming within a fixed radius."

"The instant they enter that radius, its particle cannon destroys them with one-hundred percent efficiency," Misato said, biting the eraser of her pencil. "Which means we can't get the Eva close enough to neutralize its A.T. field for close quarters combat…Shinji's fire-sword is useless…What' about the enemy's AT field?"

"Still active," one of the other bridge bunnies said. "It's so powerful that you can actually see the phase-shift space with the naked eye."

"It's perfect in both attack and defense. The thing's practically an impregnable flying fortress," Misato grumbled. "So, what about that drill?"

"It's reached the number two armor plate."

"What's its ETA?" Misato asked, still chewing on the eraser.

"Tomorrow morning, zero hours, six minutes, and fifty-four seconds. By that time, we believe it will have cut through all twenty-two armored layers and reached Nerv Headquarters."

"Less than ten hours, then…" Misato's brow furrowed. "Doctor Akagi! What's the status of Unit 01?"

The doctor looked at Misato, then said, "The chest is completely melted down to the third armor plate. We're lucky that the functional center wasn't damaged. We'll have the armor swapped out within three hours."

"And Unit 00?" Misato dreaded the answer to her question, but asked anyway.

"Reactivation is no problem," Ritsuko said matter-of-factly, "but there are still some feedback problems."

"Damn!" Misato swore. "What about Shinji? How is he?"

"No physical damage. The nerve pulse is a bit unstable, but within acceptable parameters. He's still under sedation."

"Doesn't look good, does it?" Misato sighed.

"Captain Katsuragi," Misato looked up at Rei, who was holding out a slip of paper. Misato was more focused on the girl's eyes, though, which were red and puffy from crying, even as she absentmindedly took the paper from the Ayanami's hands. "That is the written form of Shinji-kun's earlier phone conversation. Good bye."

Without another word, she turned on her heel and left the room.

Slowly tearing her eyes from where the blue-haired girl had been, Misato looked down at the piece of paper, her eyes slowly widening. It read:

_Shinji: Hello. This is Ikari Shinji…_

_Unknown: Ikari-san? This is your private contractor. I've called about the twin particle rifles you commissioned my crew and I to make._

_Shinji: Yes, I see. Are they finished? And what time will they arrive?_

_Unknown: Yes and no. One is finished, but the other is not. If you would like, we can ship the finished one to you now and it would be there at eight o'clock this evening._

_Shinji: Eight o'clock p.m.? Eight o'clock p.m. is bad…How about nine o'clock p.m.?_

_Unknown: I'm afraid that nine would be a little too late. Is eight thirty okay?_

_Shinji: That's good. Thank you. Good bye._

_Unknown: Good bye, Ikari-san. As always, it's a pleasure doing business with you. _

At that moment, in the hospital, Shinji woke up to the teary but smiling face of Ayanami Rei.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"Enemy has breached number seventeen armor plate! Three hours fifty-five minutes till it reaches headquarters!"

"All right," Misato stood in front of Shinji and Rei, Doctor Akagi and Ibuki Maya standing next to her, "listen to what we're about to say."

She gestured at the large gun behind herself, "This is a particle beam rifle, one that was just recently sent here, courtesy of Shin-chan's private contact. We don't know the extent of its capabilities because we've not tested it yet, so we're playing by ear.

"According to our calculations, at its current setting, it can punch right through the enemy's AT field, even at this range. However, at its current range setting, it's a precision instrument, not suitable for field operations or anything too ambitious."

Shinji resisted the urge to smirk. She was telling him what he already knew. After all, he'd been the one who'd given his private contractor those blueprints, shouldn't he at least know how they worked? It was simple logic, but giving away the true extent of his technological knowledge might bring unwanted suspicion.

Misato gestured a second time, to Unit 00, which carried a big shield shaped like a space shuttle, "And that shield is just something we jury-rigged from the bottom of a single-stage-to-orbit rocket that was given ultra electromagnetic coating. It can withstand the enemy's beam for seventeen seconds.

"Since it was designed for Unit 01 and Shinji has the higher sink ratio," Misato moved back to the rifle, "Shinji will be the gunner, and Rei will handle defense."

"Yes, ma'am," both pilots answered.

Deciding it would be prudent to ask, Shinji posed the question, "What happens if the first shot misses?"

"If the first shot misses," Doctor Akagi said, "then it will take ten to fifteen seconds for the barrel to cool down and prevent the dangerous degradation of the metal caused by repetitive firing. In that time, we predict that the angel would counterattack and likely cause a great amount of damage."

"So the first shot has to be the only shot," Shinji concluded, checking the watch on his plug suit. Misato did the same, and her face, if possible, became even more serious.

"It's time," she said firmly. "Get ready, you two."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Misato glared at the video feed of Ramiel, "This is it, Shinji. You're our last hope."

"_Yes, ma'am,"_ Shinji's voice said over the intercom.

Nodding to herself, Misato shouted, "Release final safety systems! Commence Operation Yashima!"

With a few high-pitched beeps, the green scope on the particle rifle came to life, lighting up the azure-gray of the weapon's metal. Within the hands of Unit 01, the rifle began to hum, its metal framework warming slightly as it prepared to fire its explosive power. It was a weapon of massive destruction, one that could end any war.

Inside of Seraphiel's entry-plug, Shinji turned off the response system to his intercom, ensuring that the people at Nerv could not hear his next words. Twisting the right control yoke slightly, Shinji commanded, "Zero, run program XXXG-stroke-X-one-zero-D (XXXG—X10D). Calculate coordinates on the X and Y-axis, then triangulate the enemy's position. Calculate power and targeting necessities involved with punching through the enemy's phase-shift space, then make adjustments accordingly."

Pulling the special visor over his eyes, Shinji watched as the world flickered to life in front of his face. He could clearly see each and every object within the Eva's line of sight, and within the range of the targeting scope on his rifle. A green ring and box appeared on opposite sides of the screen without warning, two dotted lines showing him the path the beam would take. A light, fast, high-pitched beeping sound rang in his ears as the ring and box moved closer together, clearly on a path of convergence. He couldn't help the words that escaped his lips, "Mato o erushita." (Target acquired)

The targeting computer made a**—bernt!—**sound in Shinji's ears.

He smirked as the circle fit itself into the box perfectly, a triangle forming within it as Zero locked on to the target, the Fifth Angel. Before he could pull the trigger, however, a voice came over his intercom, _"High-energy reading within the target!"_

Misato's voice came next, _"Fire!"_

His finger jerked and Shinji pulled the trigger, launching a powerful beam at his enemy. Simultaneously, Ramiel fired his own beam at Shinji, probably hoping to either eliminate him or knock the attack off course. It succeeded, knocking both beams off course and nearly hitting Shinji in the process.

Klaxon alarms went off within the command center, "Enemy drill has penetrated the Geofront!"

"Move it, Shinji!" Misato shouted across the intercom. "Buy us some time for the barrel to cool!"

"I'm getting another high-energy reading from the target!"

Ramiel shot a second beam faster than Shinji thought it could, and the ray of solid energy rushed towards him at a dreadful speed. At what seemed to last possible second, Unit 00 jumped in front of the blast, blocking it with the shield poised in front of its body.

"Rei," Shinji breathed, half relieved, half worried.

The beam hammered away at the defense set before it, trying to blast through and hit its target. Under the constant barrage of such a powerful surge, the shield began to disintegrate and melt, threatening to yield to the enemy's attack.

"_The shield isn't going to last,"_ he heard Doctor Akagi say, her tone grave.

"_Are we ready to fire?" _came Misato's voice.

"How much longer?" he asked them.

"_Ten more seconds," _came the response.

As Shinji counted down, he could only watch as the shield finally dissipated into thin air, leaving Unit 00 to take the brunt of the blast. He felt a block of ice slip into his stomach, "REI!"

—**bernt!—**

"_Fire!"_

Shinji scowled, his voice filled with icy fury, "Omae o korosu." (I'll kill you)

Shinji pulled the trigger a second time, launching an orange-ish yellow beam at Ramiel. It barreled towards him at amazing speeds, speeds too fast for such a slow object to dodge. Without even hesitating at the AT field, it collided with its target, lighting up the city with an explosion of brightness.

As the light died down, a large hole could be seen in Ramiel. It would have bisected him had it been big enough, but it had clearly been a fatal blow anyway. The beam had traveled right through the Angel's core, disintegrating it instantaneously. Nothing could have survived such a devastating blast.

"_The enemy bore has stopped directly above headquarters! It's fallen silent!"_

With a sigh, Shinji whispered, "Mato o koroshita. Shimei o kanseishita." (Target eliminated. Mission accomplished)

Hastily setting the gun on the ground, Shinji jerked on the control yokes, yanking Unit 00's dorsal hatch from its body. Immediately, the entry-plug shot outwards, stopping just short of a complete ejection, spewing LCL. Reaching over with Unit 01's big hands, he pulled the entry-plug out and set it down gently, then ejected from his own.

Jumping down from his Eva, he ran over to Rei's entry-plug, pulling on the superheated metal of the butterfly handles to the emergency door. He ignored the scorching burns his palms suffered, jerking the door open with all his might.

"Rei-chan!"

She laid their, looking for all the world to be asleep. He could find no visible injuries, but that did not placate his worries. He shook her shoulders gently, "Rei-chan! Come on, Rei-chan, wake up!"

Rei groaned softly, her eyes fluttering open. She gazed at him with half-lidded eyes, "Shinji-kun?"

Shinji smiled, happy tears forming in his eyes. He held out a hand, "Can you stand?"

Rei nodded, grasping his hand with her own as she stood. She closed her eyes for a second, bathing in the feeling of love his concern brought her, then stared directly into his own crimson eyes. She smiled at him, a simple, innocent smile.

Shinji blinked, then a single tear traveled down his cheek as he smiled back.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Next time…

"_Oh, Kaji!"_

"_Oh man, she is hot!"_

"_Oh jeez."_

"_If I am ordered to, then I will. If it is the wish of Ikari, I shall be your friend."_

"_I've heard of you! You're the Commander's favorite! His little DOLL!"_

"_This doesn't look good."_

"_Just stay out of my way, idiot! All of your battles were stupid luck! Watch how a REAL Eva pilot works!"_

"_Actually, Asuka, the Third Child has an average synch ratio of ninety-six percent."_

"_Here we go again."_

"_What about you? Does your daddy pamper you? Oh my, what a great father! He's given you an Evangelion! Lucky!"_

"_Please, Shinji-kun, can I kill her?"_

"_Damn, Asuka could throw a wrench in everything."_

"_So this is the first Angel, Adam."_

"_I don't like these odds."_

_Next time, "The Vivacious Beauty!"_

** — o.0.O.O.0.o — **

**A/N: Ah, there we go! I finally have this one off my chest!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gundam Wing, or Fallen (which is where most of Shinji's Angel powers come from).**

**This chapter is probably the only one where I'll write so many sentences in Japanese.**

**This is how I'm going to work from now on. Once I finish the ASCTS trilogy, I'll work on One Winged Angel till it's done. Then, once I complete OWA, I'll work on Azure Moon.**

**I know I won't ever get around to Order of the Phoenix: Reconvened, so who wants to write it for me?**

**Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!**

_**Sic Luceat Lux…**_

**James Daniel Fawkes**

_**James Daniel Fawkes**_**(Signature best viewed in **_**Wendy Medium**_** font style)**


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